


Another Life

by fantastic_rambles



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Angst, Dark, Enemies, Friendship, Unlikely Comrades
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29136030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fantastic_rambles/pseuds/fantastic_rambles
Summary: Random explorations of what could have been. Not all in the same alternate universe (though they should all be set in a universe with Sibyl-controlled Japan unless my brain goes haywire). It will probably mostly be about friendship, though there will also likely be times when they act as opponents or unlikely/unwilling comrades. There (probably) won't be romantic content.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Another Life

The shot rings out.  


But it's not the last thing that he hears. It takes him a heartbeat to recognize the harsh, ragged breathing behind him, his own lungs burning in sympathy. His head drops, as if to study the small, smoking hole beside his knee, before turning to look back.

Kougami Shinya stands behind him, still pointing the old revolver at his nemesis, and his hands are shaking--but not from exhaustion or excitement. Even though he's finally caught up to the ghost of his nightmares, the unseen enemy who destroyed his future, there's nothing in his expression. No sense of victory, no thrill of the chase, not even a bloody desire for vengeance. He is a man caught in a long-forgotten struggle, tormented by an ancient question: what is the _right_ thing to do?

He still wants to kill him. It's apparent in the tension that cords his body, the gun focused on him again, but he's hesitating. It only takes Shougo a moment to run through a possible scenario: hands on the ground, push up, kick the gun, a second shot going wide as he turns around and drives Kougami to the ground. It's not a fight that he's sure he can win now, with his injuries, but his chances are still fair. He's beaten the man before, and the will to live can lend people incredible strength. He's seen that firsthand, and there is no better example than the man who has finally caught up to him.

Slowly, he turns his head forward again, placing his hands on his lap as he steadies his breathing.

"Do you want to know the true form of the Sibyl System?" he asks conversationally, as if he's talking to Gu-sung over tea. Silence fills the space between them, and he lets it hang there as the light fades around them. Just when it seems that the silence is unbearable, when it seems that Kougami will either speak or shoot him just to break it, he continues.

"It surprised me, when I found out. It was beyond even my wildest dreams. But I think you know, already, that it's not what they said it was. That it never was." He pauses, takes a deep breath, and gets to his feet slowly, brushing the dirt off his legs to let the anticipation build. When he turns around, it's as if he doesn't even see the gun anymore, pointed directly at his heart, and he looks directly into Kougami's eyes.

"Sybil is a conglomeration of the greatest criminals of Japan--or, well, their brains, at least." Even in the dim light, he sees exactly what he is hoping for: a hitch in Kougami's breath, a widening of his eyes, another shake in his arm.

"You're lying." Flat, clipped tone. It's the first thing he's said in this whole encounter, and Shougo allows himself a small smile as he shrugs expressively.

"What would be the point? If I wanted to save my life, I'd tell you something more believable. And despite your protestations, I think you're clever enough to recognize that it's true, or at least that it explains a few things. Beyond the technical difficulties of a supercomputer actually being at the heart of the system, it has displayed a rather _human-like_ irrationality at times, don't you think?

"For example, why Chief Kasei wanted me to be captured alive, even if it meant that more people would die. There is no question that I am guilty of aiding and abetting a great number of murderers, in addition to killing Inspector Tsunemori's friend. Your Dominators have condemned so many others who did far less--who _thought_ of doing far less--than what I did. Sybil could have given you other weapons so that you could at least defend yourself if we met, and yet, they insisted on a tool that was entirely useless. They were far more afraid of what someone like you might do, accidentally or intentionally, to render me useless to them. Touma, in particular, seemed quite enthusiastic about my joining them."

He doesn't miss the small flinch at the name.

"Yes, Kozaburo Touma, the culprit of what you called the Specimen Case is one of those great minds governing Japan. Or perhaps he was. He was still convinced that I was his friend, so he told me many things that he probably really shouldn't have. But I was quite emphatic in my refusal of their offer."

"You refused?"

Shougo's smile stretches, turning sly. "You don't really think I'd accept? I know that you understand me and the way I think: it's why we're here now. I have no interest in playing God or watching the game of life from the sidelines. Life is for the living, no more and no less."

His steps are slow and deliberate as he walks toward Kougami, narrowing the distance between them, until the muzzle of the gun rests on his chest, his eyes never leaving his foe's.

"So then... now it is your choice. Kill me, or let me live so that I can uproot this rotten system. And I would certainly welcome your help, should you choose to give it."


End file.
